Forever Evil number four takes the team up of villains one step further as Lex Luthor has finally established this new 52’s Legion of Doom. Writer Geoff Johns throws a lot into this book which was exciting to read and left you wanting more. He includes lots of little easter eggs into the issue that long time DC fans will appreciate. And now that we’re more than halfway through this series and it looks as though the action is about to ramp up even more.

As Ultraman is running out of kryptonite to fuel his powers, he tasks the rest of the Crime Syndicate to different missions including Power Ring, who we get to see a lot of in this issue and he’s as crazy as ever. We also witness a great scene between Lex Luthor and Bizarro that not only provides the origin of his name, but also takes the time to flesh out Luthor’s character, making him more into the “hero” for this event. It’s in contrast to Ultraman’s characterization, as he’s basically evil in every way and only cares about himself and because of that, comes off as a bit one dimensional. There are many cool scenes in this issue, but the scene that could have been the best turns out to be rushed and loses most, if not all of it’s impact. I won’t go into detail as to not spoil it, but if you read the issue you’ll definitely know what I’m talking about.

I’ve reviewed two earlier issues of this series so I don’t have too much more to say about the art that hasn’t been said before. But the art in this issue, and in this series remains inconsistent. Some pages are great, while others are kind of a mess. Proportions are off, especially in the hands on quite a few pages. If you look at the backgrounds you’ll notice that they’re as sparse as can be. At the same time there’s a great two page splash of the batcave, and Finch’s Batman always looks dark and dramatic. Overall the art continues to be the weak spot of this series. For the most part I’m enjoying what I’m reading and I’m looking to forward to what’s coming up, especially with the last page cliffhanger. Johns is writing an entertaining event that’s enjoyable and fun, despite the inconsistent art.